Sameer:
Hello Double Coverage readers! We are pumped for our third live chat of the year! I’m Sameer Bhuchar, Double Coverage editor, and joining us are football beat writers, Austin Laymance and Christian Corona. They’ll be taking all of your question regarding the upcoming Texas vs BYU game, as well as conference realignment issues. Ready? Set? Go!

Question from Trevor:
What do you think Texas’ biggest challenge will be on Saturday?

Austin:
Controlling the line of scrimmage will be paramount. Texas needs a better performance in the trenches than we saw last week against Rice when the Owls rushed for 130 yards.

Christian:
BYU’s a lot better than Rice, especially up front. Texas’ defensive line, which had trouble stopping the run last week, will have their hands full with the Cougars’ O-line. Not a man below 295 pounds there.

Question from Jenny
Are we going to see Heaps of trouble from the BYU offense?

Sameer:
Nice pun Jenny

Christian:
Rice didn’t challenge Texas in the downfield passing game but Heaps definitely will. But the way the secondary played in the opener makes it seem as though they’ll be up for the challenge.

Austin:
I think Texas will limit the BYU offense enough to win. They should get a better pass rush and create some havoc in the backfield.

Christian:
Diaz said Rice threw 3 passes farther than 7 yards in the air last weekend. That will change when Texas plays BYU.

Sameer:
While on the topic of new components to the team (Diaz), a reader has a question about the freshman

Question From Terry
Which Texas freshmen really stood out in your eyes?

Christian:
Jaxon Shipley was outstanding his college debut. Made a sensational TD catch on the WR reverse pass and even provided a spark out of the backfield.

Austin:
Joe Bergeron is a guy that could really emerge as a legitimate threat out of the Texas backfield. He came in before fellow frosh Malcolm Brown and made the most out of his carries.

Sameer:
That Shipley catch was stellar, and the play was creative. Certainly something that we didn’t see under the Greg Davis offense

Question from Brett:
What did you think of the offense’s new playing style under Bryan Harsin? Does the offense need time to adjust to it?

Austin:
I liked that Harsin moved players and shifted formations. They had Rice scrambling on defense and took advantage on some trick plays. Texas made a big commitment to running the ball, which was nice to see.

Question From Mary
What does the return of Marquise Goodwin mean for Texas’ receiving corps?

Sameer:
Now that the Horns have Goodwin back at receiver, how do you guys think Harsin will utilize him? Mary has a similar question....

Christian:
Even though Marquise will need some time to readjust to playing football again, he provides a lightning quick threat that defenses have to respect.

Austin:
Goodwin’s return will expand Harsin’s playbook even more. Look for the Longhorns to get some special packages that fit Goodwin’s skill set. He could get the ball on a reverse or a be a target down field on a flea-flicker type pass.

Christian:
He and DJ Monroe were part of a relay team that finished the 4x100 in under 40 seconds. The Longhorns have plenty of speed at their disposal.

Sameer:
One important point we haven’t discussed yet was the play of Gilbert...after all, he was the subject of much controversy this offseason...Ambra wonders the same.

Question From Ambra:
What do you think of Garrett Gilbert’s play?

Christian:
Garrett Gilbert was much better than he was last year against Rice (and most of the season for that matter) but you could still see him lock in on receivers and overthrow others.

Austin:
Gilbert made some good throws (two 50 plus yard bombs to Mike Davis) and some bad ones. He still misses his target on some throws, which perplexes me considering he’s the state’s prep leader in passing yards. But overall, a good performance. He didn’t turn the ball over, made plays with his feet, and executed the game plan.

Christian:
BYU, like Texas, didn’t give up an offensive TD in their first game. Cougars will present much tougher challenge.

Sameer:
The stat line doesn’t indicate it Ambra, but he was much more poised...though he has a lot more to work on

Austin:
Gilbert also made some poor decisions, like his ill-advised pitch to Fozzy Whittaker under pressure that could have easily been a turnover.

Christian:
The fact that he did not turn the ball over, however, was extremely encouraging. Ball security is a big point of emphasis for him this year.

Question From Philpot
Will BYU be offended by the dirty words in Texas Fight?

Austin:
Good question Philpot. I say they won’t be too offended considering they have some athletes who broke the school’s honor code.

Christian:
Not as offended as Texas was when it heard when BYU basketball player Brandon Davies broke his honor code.

Sameer:
I don’t even think they’ll like the word “fight”

Austin:
Jimmer Freddette might have his ears plugged on the sidelines.

Question from Trever:
I thought the TE position was supposed to be taken care of with Irby, Terrell and Grant, what happened in week 1?

Sameer:
Thanks for bringing us back trever

Christian:
Well Blaine Irby dropped the only pass thrown to him, which is understandable considering his long time away from the game and the fact that it was the same play he got hurt on three years ago. He has great hands and should be back to form this weekend.

Austin:
Irby missed his chance and dropped the only ball that came his way. Granted, he hadn’t played in 3 seasons. But I see him improving, along with the entire team, from week to week. They blocked well, though, as Texas rushed for over 200 yards.

Christian:
But Irby and some other tight ends need to step up soon because Harsin’s offense calls for 2-3 tight ends on the field every now and then.

Austin:
The tight ends are a big key to the offensive success, Mack Brown says, so they will need to step up if Texas wants to get back to a bowl game.